


Life As We Know It

by sunshinedoll



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-27 09:41:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16700035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinedoll/pseuds/sunshinedoll
Summary: When Wonwoo is convicted of murder, he is thrown onto an island where he has to fight for his life as flashy, state-protected serial killers attempt to bring "justice" to the killer. (Heavily based off of #murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first written fanfic so please bare with me and understand that this won't be perfect. Thanks <3

_It was so easy. So, so easy._ My mind raced. _You could do it, you know. Kill him. Do it._

It wasn't like I killed someone just for the hell of it. Seungkwan had kind of (totally, definitely, absolutely) ruined my life when I caught him kissing Soonyoung. My boyfriend. It left me heart broken. Enraged. My own fucking friend had betrayed me like it was nothing. And yet, I would've left him alone. He apologized to me, full, it seemed, of remorse and guilt. I felt better for a while, my rage absolved. But he kept coming back to Soonyoung. My Soonyoung. It was like every time I turned my back there he was, hiding in the dark, waiting to sabotage my relationship with the person I loved more than anyone else in the world.

When I killed him, the relief was overwhelming. Finally, I could be with Soonyoung without worrying if Seungkwan would try to steal him. Soonyoung and I were in love. We were meant to be together, we were soulmates. Seunkwan kept ignoring what the universe had already decided was fate.

Soonyoung had been so upset once the news got out that Seungkwan was dead. That was, of course, before my arrest or conviction, so he had no idea it was me. Rage boiled inside me as he mourned. I finally realized that it wasn't just Seungkwan trying to steal Soonyoung from me. Soonyoung wanted him, too. My heart had shattered. Guilt was already eating me alive as I tried to hide what I had done. That broken heart pushed me over the edge.

But before I could do anything about it, I was arrested. Convicted. Sentenced to death. Maybe it's better that I did. I would've killed Soonyoung if I had the chance.

So yeah, I murdered my "friend" and got sentenced to death. But not by electric chair or lethal injection. No, I got sentenced to Alcatraz 2.0. The island where violent felons are sent to be killed by murderers who's identities are protected by the government and their kills are live streamed on the internet, for the world to see. Isn't the justice system great?


	2. Welcome Home!

Did I plan on ending up here? No. Of course not. No one plans on ending up here. But now that I was, I had to focus on staying here, because the alternative was death. There was no other way off Alcatraz 2.0.  
  
I looked around, taking in my surroundings. It didn't look like any kill room I'd seen before, which was good, it meant I wasn't going to be slaughtered. Yet.  
  
I was standing in a living room, complete with a couch, a fireplace, reclining chairs, a coffee table, and a TV. It looked so normal, aside from the cameras, of course. And what was on the TV.  
  
Replays of deaths that had occurred on Alcatraz 2.0 that day. Apparently, a couple of the big time killers that the Postman sponsored had visited. Woozi made an appearance that day, and even S.Coups, who was by far the most popular killer. His streams always got the most views.  
  
Aside from that, it would've been a normal-looking house. Which left me feeling so entirely disoriented. I was on Alcatraz 2.0, waiting to be killed while the entire nation watched. Nothing should've felt normal. My skin crawled.  
  
The cameras in every corner of the room left me feeling exposed. Like I was naked. _That's what you get_. "Shut up," I answered aloud. I imagined the weirdos who obsessed over watching the inmates laughing at the new crazy one who spoke to himself.  
  
_Knock, knock, knock_. I jumped out of my skin, nearly letting out a scream. Who was at the door? Dino? The8? "Hello?" Whoever it was called out to me. "Wonwoo, right? I'm Jeonghan, I'm supposed to welcome you."  
  
I snorted. Alcatraz 2.0 had a welcoming committee. As if I had just joined a summer camp instead of a max security prison. How ridiculous. "Wonwoo, I know you don't know me but it's literally my job to show you around."  
  
I didn't care what his name was or his job. I didn't want to make friends or be shown the ropes. "Fuck off," I replied. That really seemed to piss him off, because he said, "Literally come out of the fucking house. If I don't show you around I don't get money and don't get to eat so get out here."  
  
He can't even do anything to me, why would I be afraid of him. Even though I knew that this Jeonghan guy couldn't do anything as long as I kept the door closed, I could feel the fear building. My heart thudded in my ears. _He can't do anything. He can't do anything._ I chanted it like a mantra.  
  
I could play like a bad guy all I wanted but the truth was that I was afraid. Ever since the whole Alcatraz 2.0 thing started, I was afraid of it. I never thought I would show up there. Never thought I would become a heinous criminal who the Department of Justice thought deserved to be hunted down on the be-all-end-all of reality shows. _But you stabbed your friend. You deserve this_.  
  
The door knob twisted, and I immediately began looking for options. Behind me was a kitchen, and I thought I could find some knives in there to defend myself with. This "Jeonghan" could be after my blood, for all I knew.  
  
When I got into the kitchen, however, I didn't see a knife block. I opened a drawer and all I saw were sporks. _How do I defend myself with a fucking spork?_ I asked myself. But I knew the answer was that I didn't. Inmates weren't supposed to defend themselves. They were supposed to die in whatever cruel way their assigned killer had plotted for them.  
  
"Don't make this harder than it has to be," Jeonghan said. As a last resort, I picked up one of the wooden chairs that sat around the table. "Woah! Calm the fuck down! Inmates aren't allowed to hurt each other, if you do that you'll get killed immediately." I slowly put down the chair, wary, but I didn't take my hand off of it, just in case.  
  
"Okay. Shit. I'm Jeonghan, I'm the one who shows all the new inmates around the island," he started. His chest rose and fell quickly. Obviously, he was scared of me. "So if you'll just let me show you to your job and introduce you to your boss, then they can take care of you from there." _Take care of me_. "That's fucking stupid. If I'm here to die then they should just go ahead and kill me."  
  
Jeonghan gaped at me, his mouth hanging open wide with shock. "Don't say stuff like that. The cameras are always, always watching," he said. I shook my head. "You think I care?"  
  
Finally, I took a look at him, and actually comprehended what I was seeing. He had long hair, pulled back into a ponytail at the back of his head. He was shorter than me, and slender. A pink and yellow sweater and a pair of jeans made up his outfit. He looked soft.  
  
"Okay well you can be stupid all you want, but let me do my job first so I don't have to suffer for it." This guy was so annoying. "Fine," I sighed, rolling my eyes, "I'll go with you." If the inmates weren't allowed to harm each other, then he couldn't do anything to me. "Right this way!" Jeonghan seemed excited. Maybe it was because my compliance meant he would get paid, although I didn't know what he would even need money for. Weren't we in prison?  
  
Jeonghan led me outside of the house I woke up in, and I saw that there was a street lined with identical structures. It looked like a cozy neighborhood. The whole thing was surreal.  
  
"So the place we just left was your house," Jeonghan said, "and you'll stay there every night after work. And by the way, try not to sleep until about four a.m." Four a.m.? _What the fuck?_ "And why can't I sleep?" I demanded. "If you intend on getting kidnapped and tortured because you couldn't keep watch, then go ahead and sleep. That's when most people get snatched," he replied. Obviously, he was getting annoyed with me. I didn't really care.  
  
"Anyways," he continued, "here are your keys and your new debit card. Don't lose them cause you won't get another." I took the card, a white plastic rectangle with my name and mug shot on it, and the house key, a singular silver key on a simple cord, and dropped them both in my pocket.  
  
Jeonghan turned and began walking down the street, obviously expecting me to follow him. _But what if I don't?_ I asked myself. _What if I don't play by these stupid rules_? But I knew what would happen. I would be killed, but not before being tortured for a very, very long time. Maybe part of the torture would be seeing Soonyoung tortured and killed for my failure to obey. I decided to follow Jeonghan.  
  
As I walked, I thought about Soonyoung. What was he doing now? After my arrest, I hadn't gotten to speak to him. Not at all. He never came to visit me while I was being held in my cell. Or maybe he wasn't allowed. And during the trial I only saw him sitting across the court room, and I heard him recount what had gone on between him and Seungkwan, what prompted me to murder. Then I was sent to Alcatraz 2.0.  
  
Did he hate me? Was he watching the stream right then? I knew he did watch it sometimes. Would he watch more often, after I joined the inmates? Did he want me to die at the hands of the flashy assassins? Or did he hope against all odds that somehow, I would survive for a while? I didn't know. I prayed to whatever god there might've been that at least he still loved me, even a little bit. I had to believe that he did, or else I would've given up right then and there.  
  
In that moment, I decided to try and survive. If, on the off chance, Soonyoung did still love me, it would destroy him to see me killed. I had to try and survive, for him. And that meant following the rules.


	3. Chapter 3

"So here's your job!" Jeonghan said cheerily. He had led me to a small warehouse, which I originally mistook for a kill room. But that couldn't be right, because the inmates weren't allowed to know stuff like where kill rooms were. "This is like the grocery store for inmates," Jeonghan explained. He walked in, and I followed right after him.   
  
The grocery store looked like a scene from a cheap horror movie. The lights were dim, and most of them flickered. Throw some blood on the floor and you've got a set. Peering down the isles, I saw that there were frozen dinners and canned foods stacked on the shelves. There was barely any. "So uh, this is supposed to feed everyone on the island?" I asked.   
  
A guy standing behind the counter laughed, drawing my attention to him. "You forget that we aren't supposed to be around for long," he chuckled. "Wonwoo, this is Mingyu. Mingyu, this is Wonwoo." Jeonghan introduced us, but we both ignored him."So how long have you been here?" I asked. "About six weeks."   
  
"Mingyu, can I leave him here? Apparently someone else is also arriving today and I have to go show them around." Mingyu nodded to Jeonghan, who left.   
  
I got the feeling that Mingyu didn't like me. There wasn't any special reason I felt that way, I just got that vibe from him.   
  
"So what are you in for?" I paused. Did people really just ask each other what heinous crimes they committed to end up on the island? Was that normal or was Mingyu just nosy?   
  
"Hello? Are you deaf?" Jolted from my thoughts, I replied, "Well, uh, I killed my friend. My best friend." I wasn't exactly sure why I felt nervous saying that.   
  
"Why?" _Can you stop asking me so many damn questions?_ "Because he was sleeping with my boyfriend."   
  
"Well. That's interesting, I guess. I killed my parents," Mingyu stated. His tone was indifferent. "I know you probably think I'm the worst person alive. Who kills their parents?" Mingyu laughed. "I mean. I didn't expect to meet any kind of poster people for being good civilians," I replied. "Fair enough."   
  
Mingyu walked out from behind his cash register, finally, and walked away. "Follow me," he called over his shoulder. I did as he said, feeling awkward. "So why _did_ you kill them?" I asked. Mingyu didn't say anything, and I wondered if I had crossed a line. The store was silent for a moment as he opened the door to a closet, and pulled out a broom.   
  
"They kicked me out because I'm gay. No one in my family would take me in. I had no where to go. Lots of stuff happened, stuff I won't talk about, but I ended up killing them because it was all their fault."   
  
"Oh. Shit."   
  
I didn't know what it was like, the things Mingyu went through. My family had been supportive of me when I came out, and even set me up with Soonyoung.   
  
Mingyu pushed the broom into my hands, saying, "Here, you know how to sweep, right?"   
• • •   
  
At the end of the day, I stepped back into my house. After locking the front door, then checking the entire house and all of its hiding places for someone who planned on killing me, I sat down in the living room.   
  
The TV was showing a replay from S.Coups and his latest kill. I supposed it had happened earlier in the day. S.Coups slowly decapitated his victim with a blunt axe. At certain points, the video feed would pause, or play in slo-mo, pointing out different things that were happening, like the severing of chords of muscles. Once, there was a super close zoom-in as some vertebrae were shattered from a direct hit and the force of the axe. It was disgusting.   
  
I started looking around for a TV remote, but couldn't find it. The TV itself didn't have any buttons, either. I couldn't find a way to turn it off or even turn the volume down. Fucking fantastic.   
  
The whole night, I tried to stay awake. I had decided to stay alive for Soonyoung, so I needed to follow the advice I was given. Even if it meant losing sleep.   
  
But at around two A.M., I couldn't help it. My eyes were heavy, my body felt like lead, my mind was sluggish. _Stay awake,_ I told myself. It was no use. _For Soonyoung, you useless piece of shit._ I couldn't do it. _What if you get kidnapped by one of the executioners?_   
  
As my eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep, I thought, _let them get me._ I guess I was just tempting fate.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minghao: death by t

_"Wonwoo," Soonyoung called. The sun was shinging brightly on him. The world was warm. "Wonwoo!" I ran to him. Or, tried. But no matter how hard I ran, I never got any closer to him._  
  
_His bright smile slowly turned into a pout. "Wonwoo, I miss you. Come back!" My feet pounded against the ground as I tried my hardest to get to him, but it was no use. My eyes stung. "Soonyoung I'm sorry," I called to him, tears falling faster and faster. Clouds began to block the sun. Dark clouds heavy with rain._  
  
_"So you don't love me enough to come back?" Wonwoo shook his head, but Soonyoung began to cry. Something moved, grabbing my attention, and I saw Seungkwan walking towards my boyfriend. "No!" I screamed, "Go away!" Over and over I screamed but it fell on dead ears._  
  
_Seungkwan made his was to Soonyoung and wrapped him in a hug. "Get away from him!" My throat was sore from yelling, as if it was being ripped apart by the sound. Seungkwan turned his head and smiled at me smugly. I collapsed, sobbing. He wasn't mine anymore, Soonyoung wasn't mine anymore._  
•••  
I jolted awake, my heart pounding like I'd been running a race. My cheeks were wet with tears. I couldn't move, my body bound with a rope to a metal chair. The room was dark and cold. My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and I tried to take in my surroundings.  
  
I knew where I was. At least, somewhat. Of course no one actually knew where the warehouses called "kill rooms" were. It would give the inmates too much of an advantage over the "executioners". But I'd seen enough of the videos to know I was in a kill room, although I didn't know whose room it was.  
  
The executioners had a flare for the dramatic. Some of them used designer clothes to bring about their victim's demise, others made the inmate play a twisted game. The most popular ones were always the games. Sometimes victims had to role play, acting out a scene devised by the executioner that ended in death. Sometimes they had to compete against the executioner in a contest they're destined to lose. Sometimes it's a maze or a puzzle. These usually result in the most gruesome deaths.  
  
"Jeon Wonwoo." A voice, deep and uncanny, was rang through an intercom. The executioner most likely wasn't in the room with me yet. My heart pounded against my ribcage, sure to jump out any second. "You have committed an unforgivable sin. One that you will pay for today."  
  
_Great, a religious nut_. "You're a murderer too, ya know!" I called out. Not that it would stop anything. I wouldn't delude myself into thinking I could escape. But it wouldn't hurt to try.  
  
The voice faltered, unsure of what to say. I wasn't sure who this killer was, one of the less popular executioners. _At least give me one of the popular ones._ "I bring justice to this world. You are but a sinner. I am God."  
  
"Yeah, and I'm Shakira," I retorted. I could practically hear the streamers laughing. Maybe telling their friends to watch. "You are a sinner!" the voice shouted, the sound bouncing off the walls of the kill room. Clearly, I was getting under his skin.  
  
"You and I," I began, a plan forming, "aren't so different, my friend." Nothing came from the intercom. I knew what was happening. He was coming to the kill room. Once he arrived, one of two things would happen. He would be so angry that whatever gruesome death he had planned for me would be executed sloppily because of his rage, giving me a chance to survive. Or he would just kill me even more violently because I pissed him off. The latter was more likely.  
  
To my left, a door opened and light poured through. A tall, slender man walked into the room. His movements were graceful and smooth. I couldn't see his features, though, only his silhouette. It seemed like he was wearing some kind of crown around his head, but I couldn't really tell.  
  
"You," he started, voice trembling with rage, "will pay for your sins." I didn't say anything.  
  
The executioner walked towards me, and stopped right beside my chair. I could feel his eyes boring into me, ripping me apart with his gaze.  
  
_Think, you dumbass, you can't just let him kill you_. My mind raced, but I tried to arrange my face to be afraid. I had pissed him off, gotten him into the room, now I needed to come up with the next step. _What would they do in an action movie?_  
  
Yeah, movies aren't real and the stuff you see in them probably doesn't work in real life. But it was the only thing I could think of. So I did what any action movie hero would do in my situation.  
  
I pushed my feet against the ground and whirled around, the legs of the metal chair connecting with the executioner's legs and stomach. He grunted, and fell to the ground. "You-" I interrupted him, "Yeah, I'm a sinner, I'll pay for this."  
  
_Now what?_ Yeah, I had knocked over the executioner, who I was now sure was probably The8, but I was still tied to a chair, and unless I broke both of his legs, he would probably get up soon and continue attempting to kill me. _C'mon, dumbass, do something!_  
  
I ended up sitting back down, wriggling in the chair to try and loosen the rope. Luckily, The8 didn't know how to tie an effective knot, and soon I could feel it loosening.  
  
After I pulled my first arm out of the rope, I heard The8 getting up. "You broke my fucking leg," he hissed. I moved faster, trying to get free before he could kill me. My second arm pulled free, and I managed to get free.  
  
The8 stood up, leaning to one side so his weight would be off the broken leg, and raised his arm. I couldn't see that well but even an idiot would know he had some kind of weapon, probably a knife.  
  
Before he could move, I picked up the chair and raised it above my head. As I brought it down, I smiled to myself. No one had ever killed an executioner before. The chair connected with The8's head, and he collapsed again. This time, he was still.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minghao: death by the8!!! 
> 
> Wonwoo: hmm are you sure?


End file.
